That Spotify Wrapped is a real eye-opener. I found out my listening age is 73! Spotify called me an old soul, although I’ve probably been one since I was born. So I happen to like Gimme Shelter, I like Lay Lady Lay, and Blind Faith and Neil Young. I like the soul songs of Dione Warwick and Gladys Knight. But I also listen to a fair amount of alt-country and hip-hop. So says Spotify Wrapped.
The year “wrapped” has become a trend, not just with Spotify. With newsfeeds and books and even here at bydavidklein.com. We’re about ready to wrap the year, too. Let’s jump into what happened on the blog in 2025.
Posts
I published 85 posts this past year, which brings the total to 703 posts over the 6+ years I’ve been writing this blog. I have no idea if these numbers mean anything.
Traffic
17,000 visitors showed up at bydavidklein this year, and they devoured 21,000 page views, like little Pac Men eating dots.
Most Popular Post
“The Gen Z Gaze,” in which I wrote about my experience at the receiving end of an indifferent, silent stare from a young server, had almost 1,500 views. I suppose the Gen Z Gaze is a real phenomenon. But I was ambivalent about criticizing. From the post:
I’ve got two Gen Z offspring of my own, and while they are both incredible young adults—well-adjusted, responsible, good communicators, empathetic, etc.—they face many challenges, as all young adults do making their way in the world. One of the biggest challenges is living in this burning, predatory, divided, economically tilted country that we older generations are leaving to them.
Most Controversial Post
I don’t allow comments on my posts because for every legit comment that might create a connection for me, I’d have to wade through a boatload of spam. Readers who wish to contact me can do so via email, and I have heard from a number of them since publishing “Neighborhood Watch.”
In this piece, I detailed a visit from the local police who wanted to ask me questions about my new neighbors next door. I ended up having to explain (to my readers, not the police) the concept of autofiction, a literary genre that blends autobiography with fiction, and creates a narrative landscape where fact and fiction blur and ambiguity has a role.
Best Movie
My favorite movie of the year that I reviewed was Sinners—a great story mashed up in a variety of genres. Extra credit for Jaws, which my Men’s Movie Club saw on the 50th anniversary of its release. That film is one of the best ever made. But alas, Movie Club Tragedy.
Best Novel
Some of the novels I read this past year I reviewed on my blog, and the best one was Flesh, which ended up winning the Booker Prize, so I’m not the only one who found it a superior work of fiction. In second place, I read a doorstop-sized novel from an earlier era, Lonesome Dove, which made me appreciate cowboys.
Poems and Lyrics
I got into writing poems and lyrics this year. One type of poem I explored is the villanelle, a 19-line poem with five tercets (three-line stanzas) and a concluding quatrain (four-line stanza) that uses only two rhymes and repeats its first and third lines as refrains. This formal, cyclical structure produces a song-like effect. I like the challenge of writing within defined boundaries. Check out “Swan Song.”
Speaking of song-like, I wrote lyrics for songs, and I realized that every song ever written is a love song. Here are my lyrics waiting for music: “Song for the Next Unknown” and “Love Song for a Second Chance.”
Most Emotional
This one is a two-way tie:
- Despite the prevailing cultural narrative, men can come together and emotionally support each other in times of need: “Men Who Care.”
- Hearing about the death of a good friend from high school hit me hard: “Memories of an Old Friend.”
Politics
I mostly stayed away from political commentary because what’s happening in our country makes me so upset I can’t think straight. But I did attend a free course called “Wealth and Poverty” by the economist and former labor secretary Robert Reich, and realized we don’t have an “economy,” we only have a “political economy.” “Poverty is a Choice.”
Photo of the Year
July 2025 on Lake Erie, where I am fortunate enough to stay at times during the summer months to experience its sublime beauty, embrace memories, and connect with the family I grew up with. Sunset, modest waves, cool sand.
I also wrote posts plugging my own novels. But if I don’t do it, who will? Look for my next novel, Still Life, sometime in January. I’ll be sure to shamelessly promote that one too.
Dear Loyal Readers: How do I appreciate you? Let me count the ways. There are many. At the very top, thank you for reading my blog. Wishing you a loving holiday season and new year.
